Steam-separator.



No. 790,849. PATENTED MAY 23, 1905. E. F. OSBORNE. STEAM SEPARATOR.

APPLIUATION FILED MAY 12, 1904.

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l/jfizefariwvw ww w N TED STATES Patented May 23, 1905.

PATENT Trice.

EUGENE F. OSBORNE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO OSBORNE STEAM ENGINEERING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A COR- PORATION OF ILLINOIS.

STEAM-SEPARATOR SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 790,849, dated May 23, 1905.

Original application filed November 23, 1903, Serial No. 182,334. Divided and this application filed May 12, 1904. Serial No. 207,657.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EUGENE F. OSBORNE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steam-Separators; andI do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvoments in steam-separators and grease-catchers for the purpose of separating from steam water carried in suspension therein and grease or other substances carried by the steam. Said device may be located either between the steam-generator and the engine or may be located in the exhaust-pipe of the steam-engine in cases where the exhaust-steam is used for heating or like purposes. Such latter use of the invention is illustrated in my copending application for United States Letters Patent, Serial No. 1823M, filed November 23, 1903, and of which this application is a division.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter set forth, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of a steam-separator made in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the upper end thereof. Figs. 3and 4: are details illustrating theinternal construction of the parts in the separating-chamber.

As shown in said drawings, the device consists generally of a separating-chamber A and a water and grease collecting chamber B. Said separating-chamber is provided on opposite sides with steam inlet and exit passages a a. The two parts of the device may, if desired, be made of a single casting, but as herein shown is made of two parts joined together by means providing steam-tight joints.

Located within said separating-chamber A in Fig. 1 by the reference-letter A andshown in Figs. 3 and at.) Said bars extend between and are affixed at their upper and lower ends to' horizontal plates A A the lower one of which is supported on the upper end of the wall of the collecting-chamber, while the upper plate fits closely within the separatingchamber, but is not aflixed thereto. The upper wall A of the separating-chamberis made removable, whereby said bars and plates may be removed. Said intercepting-bars are made of a non-corrosive metal-such, for instance,

as copper and the condense-water carried by the steam and grease or other foreign substances are intercepted by and deposited upon said bars, while the steam passes between the bars. The intercepted or accumulated water and other foreign substances pass by gravity down said bars and into the water and grease collecting chamber B. The lower plate A the present invention and need not be further herein described. The movable part of the valve is connected by a link Z1 With a floatcontrolled lever B, said lever being pivoted at one end to a bracket 6" in the chamber and provided at its other end with a suitably-shaped float B The collecting-chamber is provided at its lower part with a normally closed drainpipe B and is provided at one side with a gage B". The float-controlled valve is opened at a certain level of the liquid with the chamber to open the valve and partially empty said chamber. The said intercepting-bars A are of trough or V shape in cross-section and are arranged with their open sides directed toward the steam-inlet of the separating-chamber. Said bars are located over openings (0 in the lower plate A whereby water collected thereon falls through said plate into the collecting-chamber below. The said bars are fixed to the upper and lower plates A A by means of blocks a a attached to said plates in any suitable manner, the former extending across the open sides of the bars and engaging the margins thereof and the latter being shorter and engaging the side faces of the oblique sides of the bars. Said holding-blocks thus hold the bars from lateral displacement while the plates A A are in place, while providing for ready detachment and removal of the same from the separating-chamber. Contained within said trough-shaped bars A are bars a, which extend substantially across the bars from one side to the other. Said bars a are constructed to permit water and grease to pass behind the same into the space bounded at the front by said bars a and at the rear by the inclined meeting sides of the bars A or the closed sides of said bars. As herein shown, access of water and grease to the rear of the bars a is afforded by notches a in the margins of said bars; but the same general effect will be produced by stopping the margins of the bars a short of the inner faces of the inclined sides of the bars A. Preferably said bars a are made of trough or V shape, with their salient angles directed toward the steam-inlet side of the separating-chamber. Said bars a are engaged at their salient angles by the front holding-blocks a and are thus held in place.

The force of the steam acting against the inner faces of the bars A and the outer faces of the bars a tends to drive the liquid (as the water and grease) which is deposited from the steam on said bars through the notches or openings (0 into the space between the angles of the bars A and the bars (4 Inasmuch as said space is not subjected to the direct kinetic energy of the steam to the same extent as are the more exposed faces of said bars, the liquid deposited out of the steam runs by gravity down said bars more freely than on the surface of the bars so exposed to the direct action of the passing steam. The said deposited liquid is divided more thoroughly from the steam, and less opportunity is afforded for the liquid so divided out from again being caught up and carried away from the steam than if all parts of the collecting-surfaces of the bars be equally exposed to the action of the steam.

It will be noted that the open sides of the V-shaped bars A are somewhat wider than the spaces between adjacent bars, thereby pre- Venting the steam passing directly through the separating-chamber, but compelling it to assume a zigzag course in its passage therethrough.

I claim as my invention 1. A steam-separator comprising a separating-chamber provided with steam inlet and outlet passages, a collecting-chamber beneath the same and of substantially the same diameter as the separating-chamber, interceptingbars extending across said separating-chamher, a plate located between the separating and collecting chambers and supporting said intercepting-bars, and provided with openings at the lower ends of said bars, the upper wall of the separating-chamber being removable, a plate within the upper end of the separating-chamber beneath the upper wall thereof to which the upper ends of the bars are fixed to prevent lateral displacement thereof, and a trapped outlet for said collecting-chamber.

2. A steam-separator comprising a separating-chamber provided with steam inlet and outlet passages, a collecting-cham ber located to receive the water of condensation by gravity from the separating-chamber, a plurality of trough-shape intercepting-bars extending across the separating-chamber between the inlet and outlet steam-passages, said intercepting-bars being arranged with their open sides directed toward the steam-inlet, and bars located Within and extending across the trough-shape bars from side to side thereof and provided at their side margins, between the same and the inner faces of the side mem bers of the intercepting-bars, with notches or spaces.

3. A steam-separator comprising a separating-chamber provided with steam inlet and outlet passages, a collecting-chamber located to receive the water of condensation by gravity from the separating-chamber, a plurality of trough-shape intercepting-bars extending across the separating-chamber between the inlet and outlet passages, said interceptingbars being arranged with their open sides directed toward the steam-inlet side of the separating-chamber, a plate or partition between the separating and collecting chambers and provided with openings over which said bars are seated, and longitudinally-arranged bars located within and extending across said trough-shape intercepting-bars and from' side to side thereof and provided at their margins with notches or openings.

L. A steam-separator comprising a separating-chamber provided with a steam-inlet and a steam-outlet, a collecting-chamber, a plate or diaphragm separating said chambers, a float-controlled liquid-outlet for said collecting-chamber, a plurality of vertically-disposed intercepting-bars in the separating-chamber between the inlet and outlet thereof, and resting on said plate or diaphragm, said diaphragm being provided with openings at the lower ends of said bars, said bars being made of trough shape with the open sides thereof directed toward the steam-inlet side of the sepa rating-chamber, and trough-shaped bars in the open sides of said intercepting-bars and extending from side to side thereof, and arranged with their closed sides toward the steam-inletside of the separating-chamber and with their side margins engaging the inclined III) fixing said bars to said upper and lower plates, said separating-chamber being provided with a removable top whereby said bars and upper and lower plates may be separately removed from said separating-chamber.

In testimony that 1 claim the foregoing as my invention I aflix my signature, in presence of two witnesses, this 9th day of May, A. D.

EUGENE F. OSBORNE. Witnesses:

WILLIAM L. HALL, GERTRUDE BRYCE. 

